Virat Kohli LinkedIn Debut: What It Says About Athlete-Founders

Virat Kohli, 37, joined LinkedIn on 13 October 2026 and published a long first post on building Indian sports brands. His profile lists him as Professional Athlete at the Indian Cricket Team, Co-Founder at one8world and Investor at Agilitas. The debut shows how Indian athletes are positioning themselves as business builders.

What did Virat Kohli say in his first LinkedIn post?

Kohli set out a vision for an Indian sports platform that covers manufacturing, consumer brands and sports distribution. He said India can help shape the future of global sport, not only take part in it.

He also wrote, “I’ve always wanted to see an India where every sport is followed, celebrated, and played.” He added that he saw one8world come to life in front of thousands of people in his home city, Delhi.

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He plans to write about leadership, team building, decision-making under pressure and sustaining performance, drawing on nearly two decades of international cricket. LinkedIn India Country Manager Kumaresh Pattabiraman welcomed him and described him as part of a new generation of leaders who build beyond a single career.

Which businesses is Kohli linked to?

Two ventures sit at the centre of the profile: one8, where he is a co-founder, and Agilitas Sports, where he is an investor. They sit at different points of the sports value chain.

Venture	Kohli’s role	What it does
one8 (one8world)	Co-founder and co-creator	Performance and active lifestyle products; Kohli is involved in function, design and finish
Agilitas Sports	Investor	Vertically integrated sports and active lifestyle company, founded in 2023
Indian Cricket Team	Professional athlete	Still plays ODIs after retiring from T20Is (2024) and Tests (May 2025)

Agilitas was founded by Abhishek Ganguly, former Managing Director of Puma India and Southeast Asia, with Atul Bajaj and Amit Prabhu. It handles product development, manufacturing, distribution, retail and brand building under one roof. Its stated goal is Indian sporting brands with global relevance.

Some media reports say Kohli put about Rs 40 crore into Agilitas and turned down a Puma contract extension reportedly worth Rs 300 crore. Neither figure has been confirmed, so they should be treated with caution.

Why does an athlete-founder move matter in India?

For years, Indian cricketers mostly earned through endorsements. The brand paid, the player appeared in ads, and ownership stayed with the company. Kohli’s profile points to a different arrangement, where the athlete holds equity and shapes the product.

That shift matters because India’s sports goods market has long depended on imported brands and imported manufacturing. A platform that covers making, selling and distributing in India is a bet that the value can stay in the country. Readers who follow celebrity earnings can compare this with the endorsement-led income in our list of the highest-paid athletes in the world and our ranking of the richest cricketers in the world.

Why choose LinkedIn instead of Instagram or X?

Kohli already reaches a very large audience on other platforms. LinkedIn offers something those platforms do not: an audience of employers, investors, suppliers and partners. LinkedIn India says it has over 185 million members in the country and over a billion professionals worldwide.

For a founder who wants to recruit talent, attract manufacturing partners and speak to retail buyers, that audience is more useful than a fan following. It also changes how he is read. A post on leadership and decision-making on LinkedIn is judged as business commentary, not as a celebrity update.

Founders who build without paid media often rely on credibility of this kind, as our Zerodha case study shows.

What can founders and professionals learn from this?

• Own part of the business. Equity in a company gives a longer runway than an endorsement fee that ends with the contract.
• Be involved in the product. Kohli is described as shaping the function, design and finish of one8 products, which makes the brand more than a name on a label.
• Back people who know the sector. Agilitas is led by an executive with long experience at a global sportswear company.
• Pick the platform that matches the audience. A business story reads best where business decisions are made.
• Plan for the end of the playing career. Kohli has retired from two formats and has begun building an identity beyond the field.

There are limits to the comparison. A celebrity founder gets attention that most start-ups cannot buy, and attention alone does not build a supply chain. The real test will be whether Indian sports brands can match the quality and pricing of established global names.

What happens next for Kohli?

On the cricket side, India’s next ODI series is against New Zealand, with the first match reportedly on 4 November 2026 at Eden Park, Auckland. The five matches are scheduled for 4, 7, 10, 13 and 15 November. LinkedIn posts on performance and leadership are expected to continue alongside the tour.

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Sources: BestMediaInfo, Adgully, myKhel.